Day To Day
by PrincessOfQuestionableMorals
Summary: A Post-X3 story. Gambit gestured at where he was holding on to her arm. 'If you can’t touch anyone, how come Remy’s touching your arm right now' Canon with Origins, X1, X2, and most of X3. Rogue/Gambit, Kitty/Piotr
1. The Girl With No Cure

_Title: Day To Day  
Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals  
Characters/Pairings: Rogue/Gambit, Logan, Storm, Kitty, Bobby, Jubilee, Piotr, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, the Professor  
Genre: Drama  
Note: Canon with all four X-Men movies, but uses the alternative Rogue ending for X3.  
Summary: The battle had been won. Peace had been made. And so they started to rebuild._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ah…Ah'm sorry, Bobby," Rogue said. "Ah couldn't do it. It's just who Ah am." She smiled sadly, holding out a gloved hand, and Bobby took it, pulling her into a hug.

They broke apart when they heard someone clearing their throat. Logan stood in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the pair, and without hesitating, Rogue crossed the room. She stopped in front of him, reaching up and touching his face, ignoring the question in his eyes as he felt the familiar texture of the glove.

"Ah heard about Jean," she whispered. "'M sorry."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into one of their hugs. He hugged her back tightly, because she was all he had left, because, against all odds, he had come to think of her as his daughter, regardless of what he had said to her.

"Logan, Bobby, Rogue…" Storm's soft voice drifted off from down the hallway, and Rogue drew back from Logan, wiping her eyes and smiling bravely. "We're meeting in the office."

"Why?" asked Bobby. "We just won the battle. Isn't that enough for now?"

Storm smiled kindly at him. "The battle may be won, but the new school year is starting soon and there are things we need to discuss."

"Storm, Ah…" Rogue started. She bit her lip. "Ah'm sorry."

Storm looked confused. "Whatever for, child?"

"For even considerin' the Cure, for not bein' there at the final battle…" Rogue trailed off.

Storm's eyes widened. "Rogue, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are a strong woman, but everyone needs touch—even you." She shuddered. "I can't even imagine it—and everyone came through the battle, without you there."

"Except Jean," murmured Logan.

That was met with silence, which Bobby broke by grabbing Rogue's hand and leading her towards the office, the two older mutants falling into step behind them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You want us to do WHAT?" shrieked Kitty, her expression a mix of horror and surprise.

"As the oldest and brightest at the school, I want you to become teachers at the school," repeated Storm calmly, regarding the mutants in front of her. Kitty and Bobby were sharing the couch, staring dumbstruck at the white-haired woman. Rogue was nervously playing with the hem of her shirt, while Piotr Rasputin sat silently in a large armchair, face impassive. Jubilee, a pretty Asian girl, popped her gum obnoxiously as she leaned against the wall. Logan leaned against the doorway, arms folded, with one eyebrow raised.

"Storm—" started Hank, from his position of hanging off the ceiling. "They have no experience, no schooling beyond high school—they're _teenagers_—"

"Teenagers who have proven themselves," interrupted Storm. "This is first and foremost a school, Hank, and there aren't many who will understand our way of life. We cannot run the school with only three teachers."

There was silence at that, as everyone processed the information—a silence broken only by Rogue.

"Miss Munroe…" she drawled, "if we're gonna be teachers, does that mean we get to be X-Men?"

Logan snorted. "No way." Storm shot him a look. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?" demanded Bobby. "We fought with you, we've all learned to use our powers, we've had combat training." He glanced at Rogue and Jubilee. "Even those who weren't at the battle have worked in the Danger Room." Jubilee rolled her eyes and Rogue's line of sight dropped back down to her hem. "We've earned it."

Storm sighed. "You're too young—all of you. We'll see if, and only if, you prove you can work _as a team_, you will be inducted.

"Meanwhile, Rogue—you'll be taking over English. Your grades in that area were always excellent, and I have no doubt you will be able to handle the position." Rogue nodded. "Good. Kitty—you'll take over physics classes and computer classes—as I recall, you're quite the computer whiz. Jubilee…you'll split chemistry classes with Hank. _No blowing things up_." Jubilee grinned mischievously. "You'll also split the math classes with Bobby." Jubilee groaned.

"Now go, you have lesson plans to draw up. The students are returning in three days." Storm ushered the younger mutants out of the room, leaving her alone with Hank and Logan.

"It's too soon," burst out Logan as soon as the newest teachers were gone.

"Is it?" asked Storm, crossing the room and taking a seat behind her desk. "They've all faced death and destruction, and they're all still here. They've all saved lives—don't you think they earned it?" At Logan's look, Storm sighed and began to tick off their fingers. "Rogue—dragged you out of the dark—don't even deny it, Logan—and remains good even with the cards she was dealt in life. Jubilee—she watched over and protected the children when they were kidnapped by Stryker, and has the scars to prove it. Kitty, Bobby, and Piotr were all at the battle of Alcatraz, and they proved themselves there. So—maybe it would be too soon. But I think they're ready."

Logan's expression darkened. "I'll judge that," he growled. Sparing a nod to Hank, he stalked out of the room.

"Ororo—" began Hank.

"Don't you start too, Hank," said Storm, holding up a hand. "I have gone through all the other options."

"Emma?" tried Hank.

"Emma joined the Hellfire Club—don't look at me like that—and I don't think we can trust her," Storm said.

"We should call her anyways. We need a telepath, Storm, and right now we don't have one. Emma may be the only other one strong enough to use Cerebro."

"Maybe you're right," said Storm. "I'll think about it." Hank inclined his head and left the room, leaving Storm in an office that she would never be able to think of as hers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I don't get it," announced Jubilee, falling down onto her bed in the room shared by her, Kitty, and Rogue. "Who lets a bunch of eighteen-year-olds become teachers?"

"Actually, Ah'm nineteen," said Rogue softly. "And they probably couldn't find mutant teachers willin' to work in such a famous mutant base. So they find five mutants with their G.E.D.'s who're already here. It's logical."

Kitty snorted. "And they totally can't not let us be X-Men. That is so unfair." Kitty sighed. "I mean, like, Bobby, Piotr, and I were actually there, in the battle at Alcatraz. How can they keep us off the team?" She didn't notice the flashes of irritation and guilt clouding her roommates' eyes. "You guys don't understand how frustrating it is and did I mention not fair?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes, and Rogue got up from where she was sitting. "Life's not fair, Kitty, and even you'll have to learn that sometime," she said frostily. "Now, if y'all would excuse meh, Ah've gotta go research American literature." She walked to the door, slamming it behind her.

"What's with her?" asked Kitty, sitting up.

Jubilee patted her on the back. "Some day, you'll learn how to think _before_ you speak. Until then…" she paused. "Until then, just keep your mouth shut." She followed Rogue out of the room, leaving a trail of golden sparks behind her, as Kitty watched her go, openmouthed.


	2. The Man Out of Time

_Title: Day To Day  
Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals  
Characters/Pairings: Rogue/Gambit, Kitty/Piotr Logan, Storm, Bobby, Jubilee, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, the Professor  
Genre: Drama  
__Note: Canon with all four X-Men movies, but uses the alternative Rogue ending for X3.  
Note 2: Wow, thanks for all the story alerts, and the reviews! You guys are awesome. I hope you like this chapter too. =]  
Summary: The battle had been won. Peace had been made. And so they started to rebuild, with new friends and new enemies.  
_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kitty entered the library, scanning the bent heads for the familiar white on brown pattern. She spotted Rogue carrying a stack of books to a table, and began heading towards her.

"Rogue?" she prompted, quietly. Rogue ignored her with studied indifference—she had heard the tiny Chicagoan coming from across the room, one of the few perks of absorbing Logan.

Kitty fidgeted. "I'm sorry!" she blurted out, acutely aware of the curious looks those around her gave her, as Rogue remained resolutely immersed in the book she was reading. Kitty took a deep breath, continuing. "I didn't mean it the way I said it, you and Jubilee have been training forever, and I know how you feel about your powers and how hard you've tried to control them and you're one of my best friends and I don't know why—"

Rogue held up a hand, stemming the flow of words from the tiny girl's mouth. "Kitty, yah look like you're about to pass out," she informed the other girl. She lowered her hand, turning to face Kitty. "Ah'm…sorry, too."

Kitty's forehead wrinkled as she drew her eyebrows together. "Why are _you_ sorry?"

Rogue sighed. "Ah've been so paranoid about you and Bobby, and it's not fair because you're one of mah best friends and Ah _know_ you wouldn't try to hurt me, it's just been—"

"Wait, back up," said Kitty. "Me and Bobby?" Rogue watched in astonishment as the other girl started to laugh.

"Me…and…oh, wow…" the girl took a deep breath, gathering herself. "Sorry, but Bobby isn't my type."

"Does he know that?" asked Rogue, a little irritated at her friend's levity. "Does everyone else know that?" She paused. "Because I wasn't the only one who saw you two ice skating." She raised an eyebrow. "Or did you not notice tall, dark, and Russian ignoring you lately?"

Kitty's mouth formed an "O". "I thought he was just being—"

Rogue chuckled. "Kitty, yah have _got_ to learn to read people better."

"Well, see, that's why I have you!" the tiny girl insisted. She brought out her best puppy-dog eyes. "Friends?"

Oh, God, not the Bambi eyes. Rogue sighed, rubbing her face. "Friends."

"Good," said Kitty. "Now, did you happen to find any physics books in your journey?" She indicated the pile of books on the desk.

"As a matter of fact…" Rogue started, trailing off and smiling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The young girl walking the lawn of the Xavier Institute had a rather unique appearance. She was small, with curly red hair drifting to about her shoulders, and skin as green as the grass of the lawn. She was searching for a cat that had been inhabiting the area around the school—or, she was, until a gleam of light in the woods caught her attention.

Walking toward it, curious, she continued through the trees until she came to a clearing, where a large circle of light was glowing, growing steadily larger with each passing minute.

Christine, eyes wide, began to run back to the mansion, not looking back. Miss Storm would _definitely_ want to know about _this_.

However, her run through the mansion was impeded by the solid body she slammed into.

"Whoa!" shrieked Kitty as Christine ran into her, knocking her over. She phased both herself and the smaller girl through the floor, before popping back through.

"Christine?" asked Rogue, recognizing the girl.

"You guys will never believe what I just saw. I was out in the woods, because Tommy told me that there was a stray cat, and when I was at home I had a cat, and I miss him a lot, and the stray cat was there but it was near the forest and I saw something sparkly and I followed it and I found something and I need to find Miss Storm right now."

"Whoa," said Rogue, holding up a hand. "Slow down, sugah."

The little girl stopped, taking a breath, and stared expectantly in Rogue.

The southern girl nodded. "Now, what did you find?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What is it?" breathed Kitty, staring at the sparkly silver hole. "It's…shiny."

"It looks like it might be a temporal shift, or a teleportation device…" Storm walked around the ring.

"Which means…?" prompted Kitty.

Jubilee leaned over. "Magic door," she whispered.

Rogue snorted as Kitty's confused expression only intensified.

"Well, is it dangerous?" asked Logan, leaning against a tree.

"In five seconds, a dinosaur is totally going to come out of there, isn't it?" asked Jubilee rhetorically. When every stared at her, she shrugged. "What? I watch Primeval."

"Considering there were no mutants before the twentieth centuries, I find it somehow doubtful that a dinosaur is going to emerge," said Storm dryly.

"How do you know it was caused by a mutant?" asked Bobby. "For all we know, it could be naturally occurring."

"Bobby, have you ever seen something like this 'naturally occurring' anywhere?" asked Jubilee, one eyebrow raised.

"Also, the patterns here fit that of a mutant the Professor and I encountered once." A worried expression passed over Storm's face. "We believed him to be…regardless, if he has returned, that could mean—"

She was interrupted by a fountain of shimmers erupting from the ring. It wobbled, edges blurring, and a dark shape appeared in the middle. The X-Men backed up, falling into defensive positions, as the shape solidified into the form of a person and came flying out, heading right towards—

"Rogue!" shrieked Kitty as the older girl fell backwards under the weight of what appeared to be a person. Rogue yelled as well, propelling the man on top of her to the side and rolling out from under him. Seeing her friend was out of the way, Jubilee conjured up shimmering fireworks that danced around her hands, preparing to aim them at the intruder, but she was stopped by, of all people, Logan.

"Wait, Firecracker," he said gruffly. He moved closer to the man on the ground. "You look familiar."

The man's head shot up. "Logan?"

"What?" shrieked Kitty, helping Rogue up off the ground. "You know him?"

"Only in the vaguest sense of the word," growled Logan, eyes narrowed.

"Maybe for you, _homme_," said the man, winking.

"But that's impossible," ground out Logan. "You look the same."

"So do you," shot back the man. Eyes widening, he jumped to his feet. Wary, the X-Men fell back into their defensive positions once more. "Where is he?"

"Where's who?" asked Hank, mystified.

"I was fighting a man—" The stranger looked around. "Where am I?"

"Westchester, New York," drawled Rogue. "Pretty far from home, Cajun—you came through the…" She looked around. The ring had vanished. "That's weird," she said, puzzled.

"What's your name?" asked Bobby coldly, icing his hands for effect.

The man regarded him just as coldly, eyes lingering on his hands. He pulled out a deck of cards, charging one in his hand. "My name," he said, smirking, "is Gambit."


	3. The Girl With The Playing Card

_Title: Day To Day  
Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals  
Characters/Pairings: Rogue/Gambit, Kitty/Piotr, Logan, Storm, Bobby, Jubilee, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, the Professor  
Genre: Drama  
__Note: Canon with all four X-Men movies, but uses the alternative Rogue ending for X3.  
Note 2: Thank you all again, for the new readers and the old.  
Summary: The battle had been won. Peace had been made. And so they started to rebuild, with new friends and new enemies._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Testosterone spill on aisle five," said Jubilee, rolling her eyes at the two men still glaring at each other. "Yo, boys, mind putting yourselves out?" She backed up the question with a glare of her own.

Bobby sighed, and un-iced his hands, and the pink glow faded from the card in Gambit's hand. He smiled cheerfully, and handed it to Rogue. "For you, _chère_. Gambit's sorry he fell on you." He grinned at her, white teeth flashing.

"No, yah ain't," said the Southern girl, but accepted the card anyways. She glanced at it and put it away quickly. Somehow she didn't think Bobby would react too kindly to the handsome stranger gifting her with the Queen of Hearts.

Gambit turned to the only member of the strange group that he recognized. "Bonjour, Logan. Did you miss me? Six months is a long time—you don't write, you don't call. Gambit is starting to think you don't care about him."

"Six—six months?" Logan sputtered. "I haven't seen you in twenty years!"

"Gambit, what year is it?" Storm interjected.

Gambit looked at her, confused. "It's 1987."

Bobby snorted. "Not exactly, Rip Van Winkle."

Rogue glared at her boyfriend, knowing perfectly well that he was antagonizing the stranger on purpose. "What Bobby—" Gambit smirked at the name while Bobby looked murderous. "Ah mean, Iceman," she corrected herself. "What he meant was that it's 2007—January 3rd, 2007."

"That's impossible," said Gambit, arms folded. "Now why would a _belle fille_ lie to Gambit?"

Logan wasn't fooled. "Don't even think about it, Gumbo," he menaced, not exactly pleased with the way the Cajun was looking at Rogue.

"Logan," said Rogue, calmly, giving him a pointed look. He relaxed somewhat, but kept wary eyes on the stranger.

"I think we should go to the mansion," suggested Storm, not noticing the positively gleeful look that appeared on Gambit's face at the word.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Storm?" asked Kitty as they topped the stairs leading up to the mansion. "Me, Rogue, and Jubilee—"

"Rogue, Jubilee, and I," corrected Rogue absentmindedly.

Kitty threw her friend a dirty look. "We need to finish our lesson plans, is it okay…?" she trailed off hopefully.

"Go ahead," said Storm, smiling. As they turned to leave, Storm remembered something. "Girls, I almost forgot—there's going to be someone else joining our faculty."

"Who?" asked Jubilee.

"Emma Frost," said Storm. "You'll meet her later today, she's going to be coming in on a late flight."

The three women walked off together, leaving behind an annoyed Wolverine, a worried weather witch, a strangely silent fuzzy doctor, and a leering time-traveler behind them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, what is this place?" asked Gambit, staring around. He stopped in shock as a small boy with a tail sprinted across his path on all fours, followed quickly by a very irate Piotr in his metal form.

"Colossus!" barked Logan. The large metal man stopped in his tracks, and Logan caught hold of the small boy as he attempted to flee.

"What'd he do?" asked Storm wearily, hands on her hips.

"I caught him lurking in the bedroom of Rogue, Kitty, and Jubilee," said Piotr, solemnly, glaring at the boy.

Storm sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Jason, you're grounded, and stay away from the girls' rooms." She turned to glare at him as well. "Logan, let him go."

The man reluctantly let go of the smirking boy, who ran off with a shout of "Rogue wears _thongs!_" Logan winced. Charming.

"Piotr, this is Gambit," said Storm, as the two mutants acknowledged each other. A moment of silent judgment passed between the two, then Piotr stuck out his hand, and Gambit took it, grinning.

"Nice to meet you, _mon ami_. Nice trick." He indicated the metal that covered the other man's body.

Piotr chuckled. "Oh, I forgot." Gambit watched in astonishment as metal became skin and silver eyes turned blue.

"What is this place?" he demanded.

"It's a school, Mr. LeBeau," came an amused voice, echoing across from the entrance. "I thought that much would be obvious."

The group turned, gaping at the source of the voice. A blonde woman stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Her smug look quickly faded as she caught a glimpse of Logan. "You—" She started. She took a deep breath. "You haven't aged a day."

"So I've been told," said Logan. "Who are you?"

"He doesn't remember anything," Gambit informed the new arrival. "Gambit's more curious as to how you knew his name." He narrowed his eyes, but the blonde girl was not intimidated.

She tapped the side of her head lightly. "Telepath."

Wolverine rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Oh, and Mr. LeBeau?" she added. "Don't even _think_ about stealing anything."

Gambit cursed under his breath.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rogue stared at the book in front of her, wondering if it was possible to slip into a coma from reading the same sentence over and over. While it would break the tedium, it would also undoubtedly draw the attention of her roommates, which was, at the moment, the exact opposite of what she wanted.

She sneaked a look over her book at Jubilee and Kitty, who were both laying on their respective beds, books strewn about them, immersed in books. Then, ever so slowly, Rogue reached into her pocket and pulled out—

"Ah HA!" screeched Jubilee, head shooting up. She jumped onto Kitty's bed, holding out a hand to a disgruntled Kitty. "I so called it."

Kitty fished a five-dollar bill out of her wallet, scowling, and passed it to the jubilant Asian girl, and then the two girls' eyes locked on to Rogue. "Spill," said Jubilee, resting her elbows on her knees.

Rogue frowned uncertainly. "Spill about what?"

"The fact that you're mooning over the playing card that that lovely man gave to you," said Jubilee.

"Ah am not _mooning_," said Rogue tartly.

"Uh huh," said Jubilee, not convinced in the slightest. "In that case, may I see it?"

"What? Why?" asked Rogue, panicked. The two girls exchanged a look and, before Rogue could react, Kitty phased the card out of her hand, returning gracefully to her bed.

"Ohhhh, that's so sweet," the tiny girl said, sighing.

"Ah have a boyfriend," said Rogue.

"And a sexy man giving you playing cards—wow, girl, you must put something in the water or something." Jubilee snickered.

Rogue grabbed the card, stuffing it under her pillow. "Ah'm _not_ mooning," she reiterated, going back to her work.

She didn't notice the glances exchanged between the two other occupants of her room.


	4. The Cat That Went Missing

_Title: Day To Day  
__Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals__  
Characters/Pairings: Rogue/Gambit, Kitty/Piotr, Logan, Storm, Bobby, Jubilee, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, the Professor  
Genre: Drama  
Note: Canon with all four X-Men movies, but uses the alternative Rogue ending for X3._  
_Note 2:Sorry for the wait, I've been incommunicado for a while, and didn't have time, but welcome to all the people who review, read, put me on story alert or favorites.  
Summary: The battle had been won. Peace had been made. And so they started to rebuild, with new friends and new enemies._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"This…man you were fighting…" questioned Hank. "What did he look like?"

"Gambit don't know," said Gambit. "Couldn't see his face," he elaborated.

"This is pointless," said Emma, exasperated. She stalked over to Gambit, eyes narrowed, and put her fingers on his temples.

His eyes narrowed to slits and he slammed the walls around his mind down as hard as he could. "Don't even try," he growled. Wolverine snorted, not able to hide his grin.

"Gambit don' like telepaths," Gambit informed Emma, glaring. "The only person who should be in Gambit's head is him."

Emma rolled her eyes, not at all threatened. "You think you scare me, Remy LeBeau? My skin becomes _diamond_—think even you could break through that?"

"The question remains…" said Storm, steepling her fingers. "What are you going to do? We have no way to send you home, nor could you return there without causing panic. One option is for you to stay _here_—at Xavier's Institute for the Gifted, where people like us can be safe."

"Safe?" said Gambit sarcastically. "With a telepath pokin' around in people's heads, an' a hundred mutant powers manifestin'?" He snorted. "_Merde_, you all are crazy. Pass."

"If that is your decision," said Storm calmly. "Meanwhile, you may at least stay here the night. Feel free to walk around the grounds, but be careful—though some mutations are less obvious than others, they are no less deadly." Her lips curled into a smile. "Take the—what was the phrase?—_belle fille_ you had your eye on." At this, Logan growled.

Gambit looked around the room in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"That's for Rogue to tell you, pretty boy. But I should warn you, I've known Rogue for a while, and she's picked up some of my…" Logan smirked. "…less merciful traits."

Gambit was out the door before anyone in the room could make any more cryptic comments, the door behind him slamming shut.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rogue and Jubilee, walking down the hall in search of one Kitty Pryde who had mysteriously vanished from the library, were so engrossed in their conversation about who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Wolverine that they failed to notice the group of twelve-year-olds barreling down the hall towards them.

"Heads up!" screeched a girl, whizzing past Rogue. Rogue, caught by surprise, was knocked over by tiny girl with bright yellow hair, while Jubilee stepped safely into a doorway until the group had passed.

Rogue, groaning, struggled to raise herself off the ground. A hand appeared in her vision, and she took it gratefully. "Thanks, Jubi—" She stopped when she was greeted not with her friend's face but with one less familiar. "Hello."

"_Bonjour, chere_," said Gambit easily. "Why is it that every time Gambit sees you, you're on the ground?"

Rogue blushed. "Ah'm not your anythin', Cajun," she snapped, but the sentiment was softened by the grin that spread across her face.

Jubilee cleared her throat loudly and Rogue started, not realizing that she had be staring at the handsome man's eyes since he had offered his hand. She hurriedly turned to her friend.

"Um, we should keep lookin'…" she trailed off, determined not to look anywhere besides her friend's face, which was now wearing an amused expression.

"Our friend, Kitty, gave us the slip in the library," explained Jubilee to Gambit. "We need to find her because we have a Danger Room session in ten minutes."

"Can Gambit come wit' you to find _le chaton_?" asked Gambit. "He keeps getting lost in this school, and the _belle filles _seem to know their way around."

"Ah think Ah know where she is," said Rogue, struck by sudden clarity. Jubilee's face held a question and Rogue just stared back, eyebrows raised. Jubilee's eyebrows shot together, and her face cleared.

"Ohhhh," said Jubilee. "Oh. Oh."

The two girls took off at a quick pace, a confused man behind them. They passed several doors on either side of them, some open, some not, before stopping at one. Jubilee and Rogue exchanged a look, and Rogue stepped back while Jubilee put her hand on the doorknob.

"Hand check!" yelled Jubilee, marching into Piotr Rasputin's room, where a surprised Piotr and irritated Kitty were sitting. "Lemme see 'em!"

Rogue snorted. "They're across the room from each other, Jubilee," she pointed out.

Jubilee deflated, and an irate Kitty glared at her. "Um…we have a Danger Room session in five minutes." Gambit hid a smile as the tiny Chicagoan continued to level a death glare at Jubilee, who was now uncaringly popping her bubblegum. "You too, Piotr."

"Nice to see you, _homme_," said Gambit, waving. Piotr inclined his head in response.

They waited patiently as the two inhabitants of the room got to their feet and joined them outside, and all five began to walk towards the Danger Room.

"So…what's the Danger Room?" ventured Gambit in the tense silence.

"It's where we train," explained Rogue. "We learn to use our powers in battle scenarios, especially people like Kitty, Piotr, and me, whose powers are, for the most part, defensive."

"Defensive?" asked Gambit.

"We split powers into two categories—defensive and active," Kitty took over. "For instance, Jubilee, with her fireworks, is an active, while me—" She phased down into the floor. "I'm a defensive."

Gambit turned to Rogue. "So, _chere_, what's your power?"

"What's yours?" She shot back.

"Gambit can charge objects with energy, and then they explode," he said, winking.

Rogue rolled her eyes, while Kitty, missing the double entendre, egged him on eagerly. "Is that why the cards turn pink when you hold them?" She asked excitedly.

Gambit removed a card from it's pocket, charging it until it was bright pink. He prepared to let it fly, but Rogue put her hand on his arm to stop him. "Save it for the Danger Room." She dropped her arm back down to her side and kept walking.

It was only then that Gambit realized he had never seen her not wearing gloves.


	5. The Man With Her Cure

_Title: Day To Day  
Author: PrincessOfQuestionableMorals  
Characters/Pairings: Rogue/Gambit, Kitty/Piotr, Logan, Storm, Bobby, Jubilee, Hank McCoy, Emma Frost, the Professor  
Genre: Drama  
Note: Canon with all four X-Men movies, but uses the alternative Rogue ending for X3._  
_Note 2: AHHHH, I KNOW. IT'S BEEN FOREVER. I've just been so busy…and this part is not funny, but it is plot important.  
Summary: The battle had been won. Peace had been made. And so they started to rebuild, with new friends and new enemies._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Begin scenario six." Storm's calm voice echoed around the sparse room. All the people currently inhabiting the sparse room fell into defensive positions, with the notable exception of Gambit, who was looking around, obviously confused.

The room's purpose soon became clear as metal around them turned to dirt and people began to appear in front of them, all varying in age, gender, and appearance, but all with the same look of anger on their faces as they began to advance.

Gambit looked to either side, seeing as the laughing people he had spent time with were replaced by serious, grim warriors. Bobby glared at a grinning blond, who was carelessly bouncing a fireball in his hand. Kitty warily circled a red head whose eyes glowed pink with malice.

Gambit was mildly impressed by the illusions, but was still unsure of their purpose. However, the illusions were revealed to be far more than that, as a large man who appeared to be made of rock launched himself at Piotr, who went over backwards, turning to metal as he fell.

That seemed to be the signal for a mass attack, and Gambit found himself fighting a girl with green hair who appeared to be strangely vacant. She raised her hands, but he charged a playing card that exploded near her head, instantly knocking her out.

A strangled yelp echoed across the room as Bobby was hit by a piece of rock. He slumped to the floor unconscious.

"Rogue!" yelled Wolverine. "You know what to do."

The Southern girl nodded, dodging through the fighting, ridding herself of gloves as she went. She reached her boyfriend and put her hand on her face, as Gambit watched with rabid curiosity. He was close enough that he saw her eyes flash blue, but she forced them closed and when she opened them, they had returned to green. She let go of Bobby and turned towards the laughing boy with a fireball, who was now sneering at her.

"C'mon, leech!" the boy jeered. "What's the matter? Worried that you'll kill him. Because that's what happens. Everything you touch turns to dust. Your skin is poison."

Rogue's eyes narrowed angrily. "Goodbye, John." She leveled a beam of ice at him, instantly knocking him out. However, she found herself caught by surprise by something that pierced her side.

Gambit watched her fall. "Logan!" He yelled, running towards her. "LOGAN!"

"Stop simulation," commanded Storm, and the walls returned to steel. Rogue lay on the ground convulsing, with a piece of bone sticking out of her side. About to touch her, Gambit found himself flung back by a growling Wolverine.

Wolverine brushed Rogue's hair back from her forehead, before leaning against her, until their foreheads touched. Almost immediately, the veins in his face began to bulge, and he began to slip into unconsciousness.

Gambit watched amazed as the bone was pushed out and the cut in Rogue's side began to close by itself. As Wolverine fell to the floor, Rogue gasped into consciousness. She stared at Wolverine, and her eyes clouded with dismay.

Wolverine also returned to consciousness shortly after. "Kid, you need to stop getting hurt."

"Maybe I just do it to keep you in my head," teased Rogue. "It's fun to watch you beat up John—" She clamped her mouth shut.

"Good session." A voice echoed through speakers from the control room. "I think that's enough for today."

Storm sighed. "Very well. Emma is right. You should all go, get ready for your classes."

Rogue was the first out the door, eyes still clouded. Her friends, knowing better than to try and reach her so soon after an immersion, let her be, but Gambit caught up to her, grabbing her arm.

"_Chere_, what happened?"

"My power," said Rogue dully. "Couldn't you tell? I suck the life out of people, and, if they're mutants, their powers."

"That's not—"

"Not what?" interrupted Rogue, glaring. "Not a bad power? You don't get it. I can't turn it off. This is how it always is. I can't touch people for the rest of my life."

"Then explain something to Remy, _chere_." He gestured at where he was holding on to her arm. "If you can't touch anyone, how come he's touching your arm right now?"

Rogue stared down at the joining, realizing with a jolt that she hadn't put her gloves back on after the Danger Room session. His bare fingers, not covered by his fingerless gloves, were resting on her bare skin.

She gasped, raising her eyes to meet his, hidden behind his sunglasses. Then, she fainted.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, what is it?" demanded Rogue, now awake. Dr. McCoy stared at the readings on the chart, blue brow furrowed.

"I'm not sure…" He stared at the results, then at the two occupants of the room currently sitting on a bed, then at the rest of the people in the room. "I do have an idea…"

"Well?" said Rogue, hopefully.

"I'm not—" He looked at the girl. "Rogue, I've never seen anything like this before. It is possible to suppress mutant genes, obviously—the Cure. But I've never seen something that suppresses just one mutant's powers. One idea is that since Gambit's power is one that expels energy, while yours requires energy be taken in, you cancel each other out."

"Giving and taking," said Emma thoughtfully. "That is possible."

"Let's try something," suggested Rogue. "Logan, do you mind…?"

Wolverine came to the side of the bed. Rogue took Gambit's hand, relishing in the feeling of the lack of pull, and then grabbed Wolverine's hand. To her excitement, the pull never came. She laughed gleefully, throwing her arms around his neck, carefully not to let go of Gambit.

"But…why?" ventured Bobby.

"I don't know—the only person who could figure it out is—but he's…" Hank trailed off.

"The Professor, yes," Emma sighed. "Well, that's convenient."

"What?" asked Storm, crossing her arms.

"Well, he's walking through the front door right now," said Emma, smirking.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Please, tell me what you think. :)_


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